
McDonald's India operator posts higher quarterly profit as cheaper menu draws consumers
Westlife Foodworld, the operator of McDonald's in parts of India, reported a jump in fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday, as its cheaper menu items attracted budget-conscious consumers.
The restaurant operator's consolidated profit after tax rose to 15.2 million rupees ($178,163.28) for the quarter ended March 31 from 7.6 million rupees a year ago.
Indian operators of US chains of KFC and Burger King are launching more cheaper items, including $1 pizza and burger, to compete with local rivals at a time when the high cost of living is prompting consumers to cut back discretionary spending.
McDonald's records first sales miss in nearly 4 years on slow international business
During the quarter, Westlife actively advertised its breakfast options and coffee, starting at a little more than $1.
The efforts helped the franchisee report a 7.2% increase in revenue from operations to 6.03 billion rupees.
Westlife's shares were up 0.2% after the results.

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The IFC loan represents its first mining investment in Pakistan, helping to lay the foundation for further investment in mining and to support resilience in a fragile economic region. Photo (file) Listen to article Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Friday that the World Bank Group had approved a $700 million loan for the Reko Diq mining project, despite strong opposition from India, which attempted to block the investment required to meet the project's overall $3 billion financing needs. The World Bank Group approved the concessional package by rejecting Indian objections, Aurangzeb said while speaking during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance. Of the total, $300 million will be provided by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and $400 million will be extended by the International Development Association (IDA), both part of the World Bank Group. This marks the third instance in the past month where India has failed to block lending. 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The IFC's lending will help lay the foundation for further investment in the mining sector and support resilience in an economically fragile region like Balochistan. The IFC will provide $300 million from its own account, while another $400 million will be issued as a blended finance loan under the World Bank Group's IDA-20 package. The World Bank stated that the project is expected to generate a peak of up to 10,000 jobs during the construction stage, with the Reko Diq Mining Company's local recruitment policy prioritising residents of Balochistan for both skilled and low-skilled positions. This will provide a stable source of income for households, which is expected to include a substantial number of women. The mining company plans to contribute 1% of construction costs and 0.4% of annual revenue to projects identified by local Community Development Committees throughout the project's life. 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